Car-seal.



PATENTED MAR. 24, 1908.

H. 0.. FOLGER.

GAR SEAL. APPLICATION TILED APB.29, 190 7.

1n: NuRRls PETERS cm, wnsmzvcrmv, n. c,

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY C. FOLGER, OF EVERETT, ltlASSAGHUSETTS.

CAR-SEAL.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY C.-FOLGER, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Everett, in the county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Car-Seals, of which the following des'cription,in connection with the accompanying drawing, is a specification, like letters on the drawing representing like parts.

This invention relates to car seals, and especially to that type of car seals in which the ends of the sealing band or wire are joined together by a sealing member of soft material; and it has for its object to provide a car seal which is simple in construction and cheap to manufacture and which will effectively lock or seal the sealing band so that it will be impossible to release either end of the band from the seal without disfiguring or mutilating the seal to such an extent that it will be applarent that the seal has been tampered wit I will first describe one embodiment of my invention and then point out the novel features thereof in the appended claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 shows in perspective a seal embodyin my invention having both ends of the sealing band secured to the attaching member, said figure showing the sealing member in its opened condition and before it is closed onto the attaching member to lock the latter to the sealinglband Fig. 2 is a cross section through the sealing member as shown in Fig. 1; Fig; 3 is a similar cross section after the sealing member has been compressed to lock the sealing band to the attaching member; Fig. 4 is a section on the line :r,:r, Fig. 2.

The sealing band 3 may be of wire or any other suitable material. Its ends are adapted to be secured to an attaching member 4 herein shown in the form of a ring which is preferably made of steel, wire or some other hard strong material. The ends of the sealing band are locked and sealed to the attaching member by means of a sealing member 5 which in this embodiment of my invention is spool-shaped, it being formed with two heads 6 connected by a neck 7. The ring or attaching member 4 encircles the neck of the sealing member, said ring or attaching member being situated between the heads 6, as plainly seen in Figs. 1 and 2. This sealing member 5 is made of some soft material such as lead, and

Specification of Letters Patent.

Applicationzfiled April 29, 1907.

Patented March 24, 1908.

Serial No. 370,755.

when manufactured the neck 7 is longer than the width of the attaching member 4, as seen in Fig. 2. This sealing member can be conveniently made by casting it in a mold in which the attaching ring has been placed so that when the casting is completed the ring will be surrounding the neck 7 situated between the heads 6.

In using my seal the ends of the sealing band 3 are threaded through the attaching ring 4, as shown in Fig. 2, and preferably are doubled back on themselves, and then the sealing member is compressed endwise by means of suitable pliers, or by any other means. Such endwise compression causes the neck 7 of the sealing member to expand and fill entirely the attaching ring 4, and also causes the heads 6 to be forced against the sides of the attaching ring, as plainly seen in Fig. 3.

The heads 6 of the sealing member are preferably of substantially the same diameter as that of the ring 4, as plainly seen in Fig. 2. The result of this construction is that when the sealing member is compressed by pliers, as shown in Fig. 3, the heads 6 are caused to overlie and cover the entire sides of the ring 4 and even tend to spread over the periphery of said ring. hen the sealing member is thus compressed endwise the sealing band is 'hrmly and securely locked to the ring 4 not only by reason of the fact that the neck 7 of the sealing member is expanded out to fill the bore of the ring 4 but also because of the fact that the heads 6 are spread over the entire side faces of said ring and the periphery of the heads are forced over the periphery of the ring more or less. The heads 6 which are of soft material are sufficiently large to receive any distinguishing impression which may be made on them by the pliers.

After the seal is completed, as shown in Fig. 3, it will be impossible to open up the sealing member sufficiently to withdraw either end of the sealing band without having this fact detected; for even if either or both of the heads 6 is pried away from the attaching ring slightly yet such action will not loosen the band 3 because the expanded neck 7 still tightly holds the band against the attaching member.

A seal made as above described is not only inexpensive to manufacture, but it efiectively seals the sealing band and eliminates all possibility of the seal being opened without aving such fact detected.

While I have shown herein the preferred embodiment of my invention I have not attempted to illustrate all forms which the invention may assume, and, therefore, I do not wish to be limited to the exact construction shown herein.

Having fully described my invention,

what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is l. A car seal having an annular attaching member of hard metal, a wire passed through the central opening of said member, and sealing material filling the attaching member and overlying and substantially covering the sides thereof thereby locking the wire thereto, the outer periphery of said attaching member being eXposec.

2. A car seal comprising an attaching member provided with an opening, a sealing band having each end passed through said opening and doubled back on itself, and sealing material filling the opening and overlying and covering the sides thereof thereby locking the sealing band to the attaching member.

'3. A car seal comprising a spool-shaped sealing member having two heads connected by a neck, a hard metal attaching member encircling the neck, and a sealing band or wire having its ends passed through said attaching member.

4. A car seal comprising a sealing member having two heads connected by a neck, an attaching member of hard material loosely surrounding the neck, and having a diameter substantially the same as that of said heads and a sealing band adapted to be connected to the attaching member.

5. A car seal comprising a sealing member having two heads connected by a neck,

a ring loosely encircling said neck, said neck being longer than the thickness of the ring, and a sealing band to be connected to the rin (I A car seal comprising a spool-shaped sealing member having two heads connected by a neck, a ring encircling said neck, said ring being larger than the neck and of less thickness than the distance between the heads, and an attaching band to be connected to the ring.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

HENRY C. FOLGER.

Witnesses:

LOUIS C. SMITH, BERTHA F. HEUSER. 

